I want to set up a website

When I first went to Phleek, a start-up company, I was immediately struck by a blackboard on which a business plan with five targets was written. It said: “Ten outfits per day, average sales increase 18 per cent a month, average price of each order VND490,000 [US$22], 10,000 Facebook likes and 3,000 Instagram followers, and 1,000 orders per month.” The targets were set by founder and CEO Kinh Van Quan Dao and her team. Most people who follow the start-up scene in Viet Nam know about Dao and the challenges she and her team overcame to survive and then thrive. She exemplifies the can-do spirit of young Vietnamese entrepreneurs who dare to follow their dreams. Dao was born in HCM City in 1996. While in her last year at university and working as an intern at an advertising agency, she got the idea of setting up an online fashion shopping channel to change Vietnamese customers’ consumption habits. “I found that the fashion industry was strongly developed with a lot … [Read more...] about Success is hard-won in VN’s start-up world

Viet Nam News Khánh Dương HÀ NỘI — What’s the best way to explore a city from a local point of view? For Vũ Thái An, the CEO of a tourism start-up, it’s travelling with local people. About five years ago before starting her masters in Manchester, An took a tour around Việt Nam as a backpacker with two Canadian friends. During the trip, she realised there was a market for helping foreign backpackers to avoid tourist traps and experience true Vietnamese life. Most tours and individual trips don’t offer this experience and cost more than necessary with restricted schedules. An nurtured the dream of connecting foreign tourists with locals in Việt Nam while she was completing her master’s degree, and when she returned a year ago, she made that dream a reality with Vietnamese and British friends by setting up Tubudd, a digital platform connecting travellers and local people. Like searching for … [Read more...] about Innovative start-ups exploit technology to unlock tourism potential

Vietnam Electricity revises up 2017 pre-tax profit to US$350 million Electricity demand in Vietnam is forecast to continue increasing at an average rate of 9% per annum, driven by rising industrialization, urbanization and affluence, according to Fitch Ratings. Vietnam Electricity (EVN), the sole distributor of electricity in the country, posted a revised pre-tax profit of VND8.14 trillion (US$349.8 million) for 2017, VND1.5 trillion (US$64.48 million) higher than the previously announced figure and up 58% year-on-year, the power company said on its website. EVN's revenue in 2017 reached VND300 trillion (US$12.89 billion), up nearly 8% year-on-year, while the company contributed VND19.66 trillion (US$844.8 million) to the state budget, down 7.3% year-on-year, according to EVN's latest report on its business performance result in the 2015 - 2017 period. Last year, the state-run company set aside VND118.23 trillion (US$5.07 billion) for development investment, down from … [Read more...] about BUSINESS IN BRIEF 14/9

Since its debut by three young people in Ho Chi Minh City in December 2016, Sach Chuyen Tay (Books in the City) has created a venue to share and lend the favourite free books in Vietnam. The project aims to help spread the reading culture and connect the reading community by locating available book sources in society. Huynh Quang Dung (first from left) and his teammates standing in front of Sach Chuyen Tay's stall on Nguyen Van Binh Book Street, Ho Chi Minh City (Photo: Sach Chuyen Tay) While cleaning his house, Pham Ngoc Hoang Huy, 28, found many of his old books across the corners of his room. It would have been a waste to throw the books away, Huy thought, but he didn’t know what to do with them. Huy shared his problem with his friends, Huynh Quang Dung and Loc Nguyen, and it marked the birth of Sach Chuyen Tay. Initially, Sach Chuyen Tay was a small group where members shared their books with each other. However, the group quickly received great support from book … [Read more...] about Youth project helps to spread reading culture in community

Cristiano Ronaldo is set for a return to Old Trafford in the Champions League with Juventus. (AFP/MARCO BERTORELLO) Ronaldo, who was not in Monaco despite being nominated for an individual award, spent six years at United, winning the Champions League in 2008, before moving to Real Madrid in 2009. He will come up against his compatriot Jose Mourinho, under whom he played during his time at Real, while United midfielder Paul Pogba can also look forward to facing his old team. While those sides will be favourites to progress to the last 16 from Group H, they will have to be wary of Valencia, with the Spaniards returning to the group stage for the first time in three years. Swiss champions Young Boys, group-stage debutants, look to be the makeweights in the section. "It's a manageable group, but it all depends on us. Our destiny is in our own hands," said Juve CEO Giuseppe Marotta. KLOPP FACES TUCHEL Thursday's draw ceremony at Monaco's Grimaldi Forum, a stone's throw from the … [Read more...] about Ronaldo set for Old Trafford return with Juventus in Champions League

Viet Nam News by Brian Spence* Speaking to friends back home, they are often very surprised to hear about Việt Nam’s explosive growth. China tends to dominate people’s thinking about Asian economies and frankly many have a very outmoded view of Việt Nam. Few appreciate that this beautiful country is one of Southeast Asia’s fastest growing consumer markets, and that rapid change is being driven by the expanding middle and affluent classes. Far better informed is the luxury goods sector, which is showing itself increasingly keen to stake a claim to the Vietnamese market. These companies know the conditions exist for rapid expansion: stunning, sustained GDP growth; a young, well-educated population; rising living standards and discretionary spending sit alongside a general taste for conspicuous consumption that must have luxury goods firms taking urgent steps to ensure they do not miss out. Evidence all around Of course, no one living here could have … [Read more...] about A luxury goods boom for Việt Nam

Viet Nam News HÀ NỘI — A new website on noted composer Hoàng Vân (1930-2018), offering the most valuable material on his life and works, has been launched by his children. The website, www.hoangvan.org, was initiated by popular music conductor Lê Phi Phi and music researcher Lê Ly Linh as many of their father’s works had been lost during wars. “During the 2000s, I just thought of recording all his works on CDs to store in my family’s library and later publish a book on all his works,” Linh said. “However, music is a kind of living art, in which music should be played, song should be sung so that the works are alive. Hence, the page is an irreplaceable facility for the mission of a ’living’ museum”. On the website, people can find Vân’s works arranged by topics by using key words in the search tool. The site also has various music pieces by the composer. Plenty of articles on … [Read more...] about New website on noted music composer launched

Hanoi eyes 159 industrial clusters by 2030 The capital city will have 159 industrial clusters, covering a total area of more than 3,200ha by 2030, baodautu.vn reports. This is pursuant to its industrial cluster development master plan for 2020 with a vision to 2030. In the period up to 2020, there will be 138 industrial clusters with an area of more than 2,620ha in the city. Of these, 52 are newly-established zones, spanning 590ha. The plan has been approved by the municipal People’s Committee. In the 2021 to 2030 period, five existing industrial clusters will be expanded, having a total area of 45.4ha, and 21 new ones, covering 536ha, will be established. According to the plant, industrial complexes which are located in the five northern districts of the city —Soc Son, Me Linh, Dong Anh, Long Bien and Gia Lam — will prioritise to attract investments in several sectors, including electronics and information technology, engineering, automotives … [Read more...] about BUSINESS IN BRIEF 25/3

Viet Nam News by Mai Phương Do you know anyone who has never uttered a swear word? The answer is almost certainly no: swearing is almost as universal as speech itself. But many of us still believe that swearing is linked to bad behaviour, and that our own loved ones would never use such shameful language. Certainly, I believed that my own children had never so much as thought these words. Last week, I opened my computer to find that my 14 year-old daughter had left her Facebook messenger account open and active. I was shocked to find that her conversations with classmates were filled with an abundance of swear words. They covered all the bases as far as swear words go. There were those referring to sexual references, those that are profane or blasphemous, scatological or disgusting objects, animal names, ethnic/racial/gender slurs and ancestral allusions. Summoning all of my courage to learn the truth about my beloved child, I read all the way to the end. I found … [Read more...] about What’s in a swear? Parents of teens debate

Top places for expats to learn Vietnamese in townNguyen Quy As the nation is pushing for international economic integration and cultural exchange, more and more foreigners are flocking to Vietnam to earn a living and settle down. Therefore, the demand of studying Vietnamese has been growing, especially in HCMC, the country’s most dynamic and vibrant economic center. Following are a couple of places in the city recommended for expats wishing to study the Vietnamese language. University of Social Sciences and Humanities: 10-12 Dinh Tien Hoang Street, District 1 Set up in 2000, the Faculty of Vietnamese Studies under the HCMC University of Social Sciences and Humanities in the downtown area has emerged as a place of choice for foreign students, consular officers and the expat community to take Vietnamese language courses and delve into Vietnamese history, culture and lifestyle. Foreigners can feel free to select various courses depending on their levels and interests under the … [Read more...] about Top places for expats to learn Vietnamese in town